Cipreia Dive Club Funchal

Set within the Vidamar Hotel & Resort in Funchal, Madeira, Cipreia Dive Club is part of the wider Cipreia group that runs several centres across Portugal. As a PADI Dive Center staffed by three multilingual instructors working in English, Spanish and Portuguese, it's a welcoming base for international divers finding their feet or building on experience.

Courses and dive sites

The centre runs a full range of PADI courses, from the Open Water Diver Course through Advanced Open Water Diver, plus specialties such as deep and night diving. If you'd rather just get wet, the Double Scuba Diving Trip covers two dives across roughly four hours, from USD 90.

Trips head out to popular Madeira spots including the Garajau Marine Reserve and the Corveta Afonso Cerqueira — an 85-metre ship, still in excellent condition, that now forms an artificial reef reachable by boat from Funchal. Expect clear water and rich marine life, from ocean fish and turtles to eels, corals and crustaceans.

With well-kept equipment, a house reef and hotel facilities close at hand, Cipreia suits divers who value professional, friendly instruction in comfortable surroundings.